Ventilator for opening in a wall



Dec. 19, 1967 vD. A. KELLY ETAL VENTILATOR Foa OPENING 1N A WALL 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'led Oct. 22, 1965 FG. i

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Dec. 19, 1967 D. A. KELLY ETAL I 3,358,576

VENTILATOR FOR OPENING IN A WALL Filed Oct. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5V@ 5 Si; I

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Inventors Daniel` A11-Coti Kelly Y 3 Timothy A. Kelly 29 23 FIG. 6 FIG. 7 Byd his Attorney United States Patent Otice 3,358,576 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 3,358,576 VENTILATR FOR PENING IN A WALL Daniel Allcott Kelly, 312 Broad St., and Timothy A. Kelly, 423 Market St., both of Salem, Va. 24153 Filed Get. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,204 s claims. (ci. 9s-2) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to hingeless ventilators.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved hingeless ventilator having a closure member swingable to open and close an opening, wherein the opening, when open, is effectively screened despite projection therethrough of means rigid with the closure member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hingeless ventilator having a screened opening and a closure member swingable to open and close the opening, wherein the screening is slotted to pass means fixed to the closure member and each slot is closed by resilient aps which not only close about the related xed means but are held in place thereby.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will ap-V pear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an inner plan view of a preferred embodiment of the improved hingeless ventilator of the present invention, showing the ventilator mounted in an apertured wall;

vFIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational View of the structure of FIGURE 1 with a part of the wall broken away to more clearly illustrate certain of the details or" construction.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along lines 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGUREl 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along lines 6 6 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along lines 7 7 of FIGURE 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like reference Vcharacters designate like parts, the improved hingeless ventilator of this invention, like that of Kelly et al., Patent No. 3,102,464, issued Sept. 3, 1963, is particularly designed for application to a cab of a truck or other vehicle for directing air into or from the cab when the vehicle is moving.

Basically similar to the hingeless ventilator disclosed in the Kelly et al. patent, the preferred embodiment of the improved hingeless ventilator of this invention is comprised of a frame 1 which is adapted to be riveted or otherwise fixed to and form part of a front, top or other wall 2 of a vehicle cab or other compartment (not shown) about an aperture 3 therein. Itself bounding a generally rectangular opening 4 extending through the wall 2, the frame 1 has an inner marginal lip or ange 5 which preferably is continuous around or surrounds the opening and is outturned or outstands substantially normal or at right angles to the rames base ange 6. Projecting outwardly of or beyond the wall 2, the lip 5 presents in its outer edge a generally rectangular seat 7 lying in a plane parallel to that of the base iiange 6 and adapted to seat a closure member, cover or door 8 by which the opening 4 is closed.

Preferably dat intermediate its sides and carrying or having on and vulcanized or otherwise secured to its inner face 9 a rubber or like resilient pad 10 for engagement with the seat 7, the closure member 8 has at the sides an inturned or instanding, peripheral or marginal skirt or iiange 11, which, in the members closed position, overlaps and embraces the lip 5 on the frame 1. Of the same generally rectangular contour as the lip 5, the skirt 11, in the closure members closed position, preferably is spaced somewhat from or outwardly of the lbase flange 6 so `as not to interfere with sealing or tight engagement of the closure member with the seat 7 through the intervening pad 10.

The illustrated closure member 8 is capable of swinging on the frame 1 between open and closed positions about either side of the opening 4 with its swinging axis substantially ixed by the engagement of or intert between the adjoining or corresponding sides of the skirt 11 and lip 5. For so swinging the closure member `S, there preferably are xed to or rigid with its inner face 9 a pair of longitudinally spaced arms 12 centered laterally on the closure member and adjacent and equi-distant from its opposite ends. Projecting inwardly through Vthe-opening 4 normal or at right angles to the closure member 8, the arms 12 suitably are made from flat lbar stock and, when connected at their inner ends by an integral intermediate web 13, conveniently form a U-shaped handle 14 for swinging the closure member 4between open and closed positions.

The closure member 8 is both held in assembled relation on the frame 1 and guided in its swinging movements by a positioning rod or bar 15 disposed inwardly or on the opposite side of the frame 1 from the closure member and extending through longitudinally aligned slots in the arms which are elongated lengthwise of the arms. Longitudinally beyond the arms 12, the opposite outer ends of the positioning bar 15 engage and ride or slide on inwardly facing guideways 17, one formed on each of a pair of guide members 18 lixed to and instanding from the base flange 6 of the frame 1 beyond opposite ends of the opening 4. Suitably bent or stamped from fiat bar stock, the guide members 18 instand substantially normal to the base flange 6 and have outturned feet 19 for welding or other suitable attachment to the ilanges underor inner side or face 20. The guideways 17 are identical or counterpart and preferably are divided laterally into two cylindrically convex parts or sections 21,

each substantially concentric with and struck about thev opposite swinging axis of the closure member 8, which, in the illustrated embodiment, is substantially at the juncture of the lip 5 and base flange `6 of the frame 1 at that side. Between the parts 21, the guideways 17 have vat their lateral centers or apices cylindrically concave seats 22 for seating the ends of the positioning rod 15 in the closed position of the closure member S.

By acting outwardly against the guideways 17, the positioning rod 15 is intended to pull the closure member 8 inwardly against the frame 1 and hold the member in ser lected position. To this end, the positioning rod 15 may be attached intermediate its ends to the inner face 9 of the closure member 8 by a separate spring (not shown)` but preferably is itself a spring rod, which, for the desired spring force, is iiexed or bent inwardly intermediate and preferably midway of its ends by a preferably rigid hook 23 suitably made of the same ilat bar stock as the handle 14 and xed to or rigid with and instanding from the inner face 9 of the closure member 8. Centered on the closure member 8, the hook 23, for gripping the positioning rod 15, seats in an annular groove 24 at the center of the rod.

So long as the closure member Sis closed, the opening 4 is effectively sealed by engagement of the pad 10 with the seat 7 on the frame 1. A like weather-tight seal is not expectable when the closure member is partly or fully open. However, the opening 4 should be insect-proof. With the arms 12 and hook 23 required to project through and swing in the'opening 4, its screening poses a problem. A screen covering the opening except for slots to accommodate the swinging or angling of the arms and hook, would not solve the problem, since insects could enter through the slots. However, the problem is effectively solved in the manner illustrated and now to be described.

Inthe hingeless ventilator of this invention, the opening 4 is covered by screening 25 formed in two sections or pieces 26 spaced longitudinally by the hook '23 and each extending longitudinally therebetween and one ofthe arms 12. The screen sections 26 are suitably attached or secured to the under-or inner side or face of the base flange 6 as opposite sides of the opening 4, as by the illustrated Z-shaped side plates or runners 27 which are welded or fixed to the base plates underside and form therewith a pair of parallel, confronting channels or grooves 28, at opposite sides and extending substantially the length of the opening, in which the sides of the screen sections are received or held. Readily installable and replaceable by bending or flexing them inwardly so that they can be inserted and removed sideways into or from the side-opening channels 28, the screen sections 26 are longitudinally spaced at their adjoining ends from the hook 23 and their opposite ends from the arms 12 to provide transverse or lateral slots 29 in which the hook and arms are free to swing or angle laterally as the closure member 8 is swung between open and closed positions.

For closing the transverse slots 29 against entry of insects without interference with the freedom of movement of the arms 12 and hook 23, there is provided for each slot a pair of rubber or like resilient seals or sealing strips 30. Identical and interchangeable, the preferred rubber seals 30 are L or angle-shaped, each having a pair of angularly and preferably substantially right-angularly related legs or flanges, one a base 31 and the other a lap 32. Thicker and correspondingly stiffer than the flaps 32, the bases 31 are longitudinally bifurcated or slotted to form in each a slot 33 extending its length and opening outwardly onto its free end. So formed and of a length to span or extend across the opening 4, each of the seals 3) can be slid onto an end of each of the screen sections 26 by receiving or seating that end in its base slot 33. The outer seals of the two outer pairs are similarly mounted on end plates 34 conveniently secured to the ends of the frame 1 between the underside 20 of the base flange 6 and the guide members 18 and projecting into the ends of the opening 4. As preferred, these outer seals can either be bent or undercut at the outer corners of the bases 31 to follow the curvature of the corners of the opening 4.

The aps 32 of the seals 30 are bent or turned toward their free ends away from their bases 31, with the bend such that the aps of the pair of seals in each slot will 4overlay laterally and, in the absence of the related arm 12 or hook 23, close the slot. Due to their flexibility, the aps 32 not only can close the slots 29 in the absence of the arms and hook but also close the slots in their presence by closing about them. Thus, by use of screening cornprised of the screen sections 26 and the seals 30, the opening 4 is effectively screened despite the projection of the arms 12 and hook 22 therethrough. As illustrated, the rubber seals 30 preferably are so mounted that their aps 32 project outwardly from the screen sections 26 ytoward the closure member 8 so as to prevent insects from being trapped between the flaps. Not only do the seals 30 close 4 the slots 29 in any open position of the closure member 8, but, by limiting lateral displacement-of the seals into the slots, the arms 12 and hook 23 hold the seals against accidental dislodgement. In turn, the relatively stiff bases 31 of the seals 30 act as end stiffeners for the screen sections 26.

From the above detailed description it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved hingeless ventilator which not only enables an opening to be open and closed at will and to any desired extent but effectively screens the opening when it is partly or fully open. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be Vincluded that do not depart from the split of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A hingeless ventilator for Ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable against a side of said wall for opening and closing said opening, spaced guidev means fixed to and instanding from an opposite side of said wall, rod means carried by said closure member and spring-urged into engagement with said guide means for urging said closure member against said wall land posi- 'Y tioning said member relative to said opening, spaced means rigid with said closure member and extending through said opening for guiding said rod means along said guide means and enabling said closure member to be swung -against said wall, screen means substantially covering said opening and having slots for accommodating movements of said spaced means, and resilient means mounted in and having overlappable flaps closing said slots.

2. A hingeless ventilator for Ventilating a compartment Y Vsaid member relative to said opening, spaced means rigid with said closure member and extendingv through said opening for guiding said rod means along said guide means and enabling said closure member to be swung against said wall, screen means substantially covering said opening and having slots for accommodating movements of said spaced means, :and a pair of rubber sealsk mounted in and having normally overlapping flaps for closing each of said slots. Y

3. A hingeless ventilator for Ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable :against a side of said wall for opening and closing said opening, spaced guide means fixed to `and instanding from an opposite side of said wall, rod means carried by said closure member and springurged into engagement with said guide means for urging said closure member against said wall and positioning said member relative to said opening, spaced meanstrigid with said closure member and extending through said opening for guiding said rod means along said guide means and enabling said closure member -to be swung against said wall, screen means substantially covering said opening and having slots for accommodating movements of said spaced means, and a pair of rubber seals in each slot at opposite sides of the spaced means accommodated therein, the seals of each pair having normally overlapping flaps closing about the spaced means therein for closing their slot.

4. A hingeless ventilator for Ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable against a side of said wall forv opening and closing said opening, means rigid with said closure `member and extending through said opening 'for enabling said closure member to be swung against said wall, and screening covering said opening, said screening including screen means substantially covering said opening and having slot means therein for accommodating movement of said rigid means, and a pair of rubber seals in each slot means and having normally overlapping flaps closing about the rigid means therein for closing said slot means.

5. A hingeless ventilator for Ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable against a side of said wall for opening :and closing said opening, guide means instanding from an opposite side of said wall at opposite ends of said opening, a spring rod carried by said closure member and engaging said guide means for holding said closure member against said wall and positioning said member relative to said opening, longitudinally spaced arms rigid with said closure member and projecting therefrom through said opening adjacent opposite ends thereof, said arms being apertured to pass and guide said rod along said guide means, a hook rigid with and instanding from said closure member through said opening and engaging said rod intermediate said arms for flexing said rod toward said closure member and urging said rod :against said guide means, a pair of longitudinally spaced screen sections extending across said opening at opposite sides of said hook and each extending between and spaced from said hook and one of said arms, a rubber seal on each end of each screen section and at each end of said opening beyond said arms, each seal having a ap normally overlapping a ap of an adjoining seal and closing about one of said arms and hook therebetween for completing the closing of said opening.

6. A ventilator for Ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable against a side of said wall for opening and closing said opening, handle means xed to said member and extending through said opening for enabling said member to be swung between open and closed positions, screen means substantially covering said opening and having :a slot for accommodating movements of said handle means, and resilient means mounted at opposite sides in and having overlappable aps closing said slot.

7. A ventilator for Ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising .a closure member swingable against a side of said Wall for opening and closing said opening, handle means xed to said member and extending through said opening for enabling said member to be swung between open and closed positions, screen means substantially covering said opening and having a slot for accommodating lmovements of said handle means, and a pair of rubber seals mounted in said slot at opposite sides thereof, each of said seals having a slotted base ange slidably receiving 4an edge of said screen and a flap projecting from said flange toward said closure member, said aps overlapping along said slot beyond and closing about said handle means for closing said slot.

8. A Ventilator for Ventilating a compartment through an opening in a wall thereof, comprising a closure member swingable against a side of said wall for opening `and closing said opening, handle means fixed to said member and extending through said opening for enabling said member to be swung between open and closed positions, screen means substantially covering said opening and having a slot for accommodating movements of said handle means, and Va pair of rubber seals mounted in said slot at opposite sides thereof, each seal including a flap projecting from said screen toward said closure member and a relatively sti base ange slidably lreceiving an edge of said screen, said flaps overlapping along said slot beyond and closing about said handle means for closing said slot over the range of movement therein of said handle means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,128,335 8/1938 Thayer 98--2.1 2,372,164 3/1945 Woodhams 98--2.7 2,839,985 6/1958 Ross 98-2.7 3,046,865 7/1962 Kelly 98-2.1 3,102,464 8/ 1963 Kelly 98-2 MEYER PERLN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A HINGELESS VENTILATOR FOR VENTILATING A COMPARTMENT THROUGH AN OPENING IN A WALL THEREOF, COMPRISING A CLOSURE MEMBER SWINGABLE AGAINST A SIDE OF SAID WALL FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID OPENING, SPACED GUIDE MEANS FIXED TO AND INSTANDING FROM AN OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID WALL, ROD MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND SPRING-URGED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GUIDE MEANS FOR URGING SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AGAINST SAID WALL AND POSITIONING SAID MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID OPENING, SPACED MEANS RIGID WITH SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING FOR GUIDING SAID ROD MEANS ALONG SAID GUIDE MEANS AND ENABLING SAID CLOSURE MEMBER TO BE SWUNG AGAINST SAID WALL, SCREEN MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING SAID OPENING AND HAVING SLOTS FOR ACCOMMODATING MOVEMENTS OF SAID SPACED MEANS, AND RESILIENT MEANS MOUNTED IN AND HAVING OVERLAPPABLE FLAPS CLOSING AND SLOTS. 